About 108,000 people cerebrated figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu during a parade in his hometown of Sendai, the capital of Miyagi Prefecture, on Sunday for winning the second consecutive Olympic gold medal, in the Pyeongchang Winter Games in February.

After Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai and Sendai Mayor Kazuko Kori praised Hanyu's back-to-back win, the first achievement by a male figure skater in 66 years, and gave him a commendation and commemorative gift in a ceremony, Hanyu started parading at 1:30 p.m. (4:30 a.m. GMT).

During the 1.1-kilometer parade in the northeastern Japan city, which took about 40 minutes, Hanyu responded to cheers from the huge crowds by waving hands and making various gestures.

"I took a close look at Hanyu for the first time, and he was very cool," said Itsuki Kajima, a 10-year-old local boy.

"Everyone was so excited out there," said a woman in her 40s from Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, wearing a T-shirt designed for the event. "I'm happy with my wish for watching the parade coming true."

Embattled former Nihon University American football top coach Masato Uchida and incumbent assistant coach Tsutomu Inoue on Wednesday denied having instructed a player of the university team to injure a rival team's quarterback. (Jiji)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday denied he had knowledge of a veterinary school project at the center of favoritism allegations much earlier than he has previously admitted, as shown in a newly disclosed document. (Japan Today)

Eight passengers on an All Nippon Airways flight were sickened Monday at Narita airport in Chiba Prefecture after smoke filled the cabin, triggering an evacuation, officials from the airline and airport said. (Japan Times)